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Gun purchase help

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paulmac

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I'm new to firearms and I need some help if anyone can assist me.
I only own 2 guns: A Glock 22 and a Remington 870.
I want to purchase a .22 handgun for practice shooting.
As of now, these are my criteria:
I want to spend between $200.-$300.
I understand that the Ruger MK models are pretty good, but I rather like the look and feel of the Walther P22; yet I've read that the P22s are so-so, picky with ammo. etc.
Therefore, does anyone know of a .22 in that price-range, with a similar look and feel of the Walther, but more reliable. If so, can you tell me any local dealers in eastern Mass that might carry such a model?
Or, should I put aside appearances and go with the Ruger, or are the Walthers not that bad, if anyone owns one?
Thank you so much for any assistance.
Regards,
Paul
 
I don't own either, my only .22 pistol is a revolver. So this is all unfounded opinion but another item you could consider is a .22 upper for your Glock. Also this forum is very informative on all subjects but for second opinions regarding anything .22 go to www.rimfirecentral.com I am positive, with a little digging, you can find some there who has already asked/answered any of your questions/concerns. Just my .02
 
Get the Ruger or some simiar. The best thing about a good .22 is it is very acurate and can help build your skills. And if you choose you can useit for competition.

The walther looks cool, but you can do better.
 
I second matt's advice. In that price range the Rugers can't be beat. The P22s are nice fun guns, but not for serious shooting.
 
I have a carbon fiber P22. Its one redeeming quality is that my 12 year-old daughter likes to shoot it. Other than that, it's a cheaply made, unreliable, hard-to-clean toy.

The Ruger MK series pistols are also hard to clean (more specifically hard to put back together), but they're also reliable, well made, and very accurate.

If a revolver is not out of the question, you can't do better than an old S&W Model 17 (or K22 Target Masterpiece), a new model 617, or a Ruger Single Six.
 
EddieCoyle said:
I have a carbon fiber P22. Its one redeeming quality is that my 12 year-old daughter likes to shoot it. Other than that, it's a cheaply made, unreliable, hard-to-clean toy.

The Ruger MK series pistols are also hard to clean (more specifically hard to put back together), but they're also reliable, well made, and very accurate.

If a revolver is not out of the question, you can't do better than an old S&W Model 17 (or K22 Target Masterpiece), a new model 617, or a Ruger Single Six.
Click to expand...

+1
 
I bought my daughter a P22,she loves it.Never had any problems with it..although I have never ran cheap ammo through it,nothing but Velocitors.

But,if the .22 is for you,I would get the Ruger..I'm pretty sure those can be turned into a sweet target pistol.
 
MK III

i've owned one for 3 years, it will shoot most anything, is very
accurate, it is not difficult to reassemble, once you know how to do
it.

with a trigger job and some nice grips and a red dot scope its
a damn good bullseye gun.

JimB
 
JimB said:
with a trigger job and some nice grips and a red dot scope its
a damn good bullseye gun.
Click to expand...

Just so. The top shooter on my Bullseye team shoots a Ruger with exactly the mods you list. He's routinely turning in scores in the 280s, sometimes 290s. (For those who aren't familiar with Bullseye, that's out of 300 and it's very damn good).
 
EddieCoyle said:
What's a good red dot to put on these?
Click to expand...

I really, really like the Ultra Dot Match Dot, currently $185 from Larry's Guns in Maine (www.larrysguns.com). They have a control that allows you to select either a 2, 4, 6 or 8-minute dot. My wife and I use them on all of our Bullseye guns (currently 5, soon to be 6 of them). I like to use the 2-minute dot for slow fire and then switch to the 4-minute dot for the sustained stages. They're admittedly a bit more expensive than some of the bargain basement dot sights, but they don't suffer as badly from parallax, come with a lifetime guarantee, and are - near as I can tell - very rugged. I've had one mounted on the slide of my .45 for some time and it obviously gets slammed around pretty well with each shot. After about a year of that kind of treatment, no problems whatsoever.

ETA: Also, unlike some dot sights, the windage and elevation adjustments are precise and repeatable.
 
Last edited:
I've had a MKIII for a few years now and you can't beat it. It reliably shoots the cheap Federal bulk ammo found at Walmart and gets thousands of rounds between cleanings. Who cares if it's a little difficult to put back together when you only have to clean it every few years or so. Get the Ruger and don't look back, you won't regret it. I use mine for everything, target shooting, steel plates, pins, and just last month I shot an action pistol match with it at Independant in Foxboro.

-Cuz.
 
+1 on the folks who own the Mk III. Superb gun. I have had a few stove-pipe rounds - but think that's a choice of cheap ammo, and the thing is a pain to reassemble after a cleaning; but a great and fun little gun.

Edit to add: I'm also wondering if the stove-pipe problem could be with the extractor?
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys for all your help/suggestions.
BTW, any thoughts on that Glock .22 conversion kit that Round Gun Shooter suggested?
Does anyone have one? If so, what are your thoughts?
Thanks again.
 
I'm going to be the (other? I noticed Vell suggested it, too)
black sheep here and suggest an SW22A.

Sure it doesn't have all the 900 lbs of aftermarket junk you can
buy for it like the MKII/MKIII, but if you just want to go to the
range and practice/plink with it, it's more than enough pistol. I
might even pick up another one just for the hell of it. It is the
cheapest pistol I own but it works very well.

I owned a Ruger MKII and got sick of wasting time attempting to clean
it and getting it back together. I also hate the mags they
use (with the finger-slicing follower buttons on the side) and the
terrible mag release on the MKIII (you have to push the button and
rip the mag out at once.) Contrast that with the mags that
just fall out of my 22A when I push the button.... I mean intrinsically,
the Rugers are nice shooters, but the ergos of that setup just don't do it
for me.

-Mike
 
EddieCoyle said:
I have a carbon fiber P22. Its one redeeming quality is that my 12 year-old daughter likes to shoot it. Other than that, it's a cheaply made, unreliable, hard-to-clean toy.

The Ruger MK series pistols are also hard to clean (more specifically hard to put back together), but they're also reliable, well made, and very accurate.
Click to expand...

I could clean 10 P22s in the same amount of time I could rip down,
clean, and put back together one Ruger. [laugh]

The key to the P22s is the plastic rod they include in the box... if
the owner forgets to use that, then things become a pain in the
ass....

-Mike
 
Heres my MkIII! i LOVE it.... Shoots like a pellet gun!

6.jpg
 

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